William with the Botswana band who played at his 21st
party |
Prince
William has killed a tiny antelope on holiday in Kenya with a 7ft spear,
according to reports.
The story in the Mail on Sunday is likely to reopen the debate about
the Royal Family and their participation in blood sports.
The prince had been taking lessons in hunting from a Masai warrior when
he took a shot at a dik-dik, a 14 inch (35 cm) high native deer.
Legei, the tribal village's Masai leader, told the newspaper that
William experimented with the spear - made from acacia wood and fashioned
with a metal tip - by targeting tree trunks in a village clearing.
He said: "Then we took him out hunting and he crept up like we do on
the first prey he saw, a fully grown dik-dik.
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 I was proud of him - he picked it up by the
tail and presented it to me 
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"Using the Masais' silent approach, he followed it, took aim and
speared it in one go.
"I was proud of him. He picked it up by the tail and presented it to
me. At home we eat such animals but I don't think Prince William would
even consider it."
William is no stranger to blood sports having attended an English fox
hunt with his father in the past.
A St James's Palace spokesman was unable to comment on the Kenyan
report.
However, according to the Press Association, Royal sources have cast
doubt on the truth of the story.
African love affair
The 21-year-old prince is spending a month in East Africa with friends
and is apparently learning a variety of tribal skills, including cattle
ranching.
He has in the past expressed his love of the African continent.
He spent part of his gap year in 2001 on a Kenyan wildlife reserve and
has been learning Swahili.
William has been meeting members of the Masai tribe
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The admission sparked speculation that he plans to return to Africa to
work in conservation when he finishes university, instead of the
traditional royal career in the armed forces.
He has also been romantically linked with the daughter of a wealthy
Kenyan conservationist.
The prince was said to have become close to 21-year-old Jessica Craig
and invited her to his 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle.
However St James's Palace scotched the rumours, saying they were "just
good friends".
